Research
Harnessing Biology to Build Quantum Materials
I am chromophore and DNA chemist operating at the intersection of synthesis, chemical biology, and quantum information science. My aim: accelerate the discovery of quantum materials by combining synthetic organic chemistry with the massive throughput of biological systems.
Quantum Materials Through DNA Assembly
I create organic spin centres from dye molecules. By leveraging DNA, we control their self-assembly with sub-nanometer precision over molecular interactions. This enables me to precisely engineer spin dynamics in ways impossible with traditional chemistry.
My approach: I synthetically install dyes with phosphoramidite groups, allowing us to incorporate large aromatic systems directly onto DNA using solid-phase synthesis. This overcomes hydrophobicity challenges and provides unprecedented control over intermolecular interactions.
Key Achievements
First observation of two-triplet, four-electron spin quintet states on DNA
Programmable exciton arrays on DNA origami nanostructures
Single-molecule control of energy flow in excitonic systems
Applications
My bio-inspired platform aims to accelerate development of:
Quantum Information Systems
Organic spin qubits with tunable coherence
Solar Energy & LEDs
High-efficiency light harvesting and emission
Molecular Electronics
Programmable exciton transport for next-generation devices